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Scoop
2 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
Tauranga's Rates Hike Approved Amid Protest
Tauranga homeowners will pay an extra $180 to $1124 in rates for 2025 after the council approved its budget. Tauranga City Council adopted the 2025/26 Annual Plan at a meeting on Thursday with a 9.9 percent overall rates increase. About 60 people gathered before the meeting to protest the rates increase. It was the second rally organised by Jan Gyenge. In May, around 250 people marched down Devonport Rd calling for a 0 percent rates increase for 2025. Gyenge said Thursday's rally was to let the councillors know people were still not happy with the 9.9 percent rates increase, given it was nowhere near the 0 percent they called for. There would be another protest at midday Sunday outside the council building at 90 Devonport Rd, she said. The 9.9 percent increase was down from the 12.5 percent initially proposed. Gyenge and three others spoke in the public forum asking the council to reduce the rates. Gyenge's request to speak at Wednesday's meeting was initially declined because the council said her perspective had been heard before, but it had a last-minute change of heart. She asked the councillors to "stop the wastage". Gyenge talked about the council's spending and chastised it for a planned playground opening event in Bethlehem, with free food and face-painting. "It's a little amount, relatively, but these little amounts add up. This expenditure has to stop." Mayor Mahé Drysdale said the council took more than $30 million out of its operating budget to get to the 9.9 percent increase. This included cutting 98 staff, with more likely still to come as the council underwent a management review. Drysdale said there was a lot of work to do in Tauranga after "chronic underinvestment" in facilities and infrastructure. "We do understand the tough financial position a number of households find themselves in. This [annual plan] strikes a good balance of keeping the investment in our city for what we need for the future while making it as affordable as possible." Councillor Rick Curach said the council had a big job ahead to look for further savings, but he was confident they could reduce the forecasted rates in the 10-year plan. Rates increases were not in line with people's wage increases, and many in the community found it "increasingly difficult" to afford them, he said. "I look forward to finding more and more savings and not having such a huge cost on our community." Councillor Glen Crowther said he would support the Annual Plan, but the council had to deliver a lower rates increase next year. It also needed to look at its capital projects and reorganise them to "lock in some affordability", he saidm and figure out what the public could afford and come up with a plan that met those requirements. "We are here to serve the public. We are not here to deliver a plan." Deputy Mayor Jen Scoular said people wanted new playgrounds, sports fields and facilities, but the council needed to understand how to get more value from its "significant expenditure". Drysdale said they were approving a budget by adopting the Annual Plan but that did not mean they needed to spend it all. "We want to find every saving that we can, and I think there's big opportunities to continue to save money." The council could deliver the same assets for significantly less money if it looked at its processes and did things differently, he said. "This is setting a budget\ - now the real hard work starts as we try to deliver under that budget." How much will your rates increase? Capital value $355,000 - $180.83 (8.3%) Capital value $885,000 - $320.72 (9.2%) Capital Value $1.12m - $382.75 (9.4%) Capital Value $3.929m - $1124.22 (10.2%) - LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Tauranga's rates hike approved amid protest
Some of the 60 people that gathered outside the Tauranga City Council building to protest the 9.9 percent rates increase on Thursday morning. Photo: LDR/Supplied Tauranga homeowners will pay an extra $180 to $1124 in rates for 2025 after the council approved its budget. Tauranga City Council adopted the 2025/26 Annual Plan at a meeting on Thursday with a 9.9 percent overall rates increase. About 60 people gathered before the meeting to protest the rates increase. It was the second rally organised by Jan Gyenge. In May, around 250 people marched down Devonport Rd calling for a 0 percent rates increase for 2025. Gyenge said Thursday's rally was to let the councillors know people were still not happy with the 9.9 percent rates increase, given it was nowhere near the 0 percent they called for. Tauranga resident Jan Gyenge spoke in the public forum against the 9.9 percent rates increase. Photo: LDR/Alisha Evans There would be another protest at midday Sunday outside the council building at 90 Devonport Rd, she said. The 9.9 percent increase was down from the 12.5 percent initially proposed. Gyenge and three others spoke in the public forum asking the council to reduce the rates. Gyenge's request to speak at Wednesday's meeting was initially declined because the council said her perspective had been heard before, but it had a last-minute change of heart. She asked the councillors to "stop the wastage". Gyenge talked about the council's spending and chastised it for a planned playground opening event in Bethlehem, with free food and face-painting. "It's a little amount, relatively, but these little amounts add up. This expenditure has to stop." Tauranga mayor Mahé Drysdale. Photo: LDR/David Hall Mayor Mahé Drysdale said the council took more than $30 million out of its operating budget to get to the 9.9 percent increase. This included cutting 98 staff , with more likely still to come as the council underwent a management review. Drysdale said there was a lot of work to do in Tauranga after "chronic underinvestment" in facilities and infrastructure. "We do understand the tough financial position a number of households find themselves in. This [annual plan] strikes a good balance of keeping the investment in our city for what we need for the future while making it as affordable as possible." Councillor Rick Curach said the council had a big job ahead to look for further savings, but he was confident they could reduce the forecasted rates in the 10-year plan. Rates increases were not in line with people's wage increases, and many in the community found it "increasingly difficult" to afford them, he said. "I look forward to finding more and more savings and not having such a huge cost on our community." Ōtūmoetai ward councillor Glen Crowther. Photo: LDR/David Hall Councillor Glen Crowther said he would support the Annual Plan, but the council had to deliver a lower rates increase next year. It also needed to look at its capital projects and reorganise them to "lock in some affordability", he saidm and figure out what the public could afford and come up with a plan that met those requirements. "We are here to serve the public. We are not here to deliver a plan." Deputy Mayor Jen Scoular said people wanted new playgrounds, sports fields and facilities, but the council needed to understand how to get more value from its "significant expenditure". Deputy mayor Jen Scoular. Photo: LDR/David Hall Drysdale said they were approving a budget by adopting the Annual Plan but that did not mean they needed to spend it all. "We want to find every saving that we can, and I think there's big opportunities to continue to save money." The council could deliver the same assets for significantly less money if it looked at its processes and did things differently, he said. "This is setting a budget\ - now the real hard work starts as we try to deliver under that budget." Residential rates rises by property capital value in the Annual Plan 2025/26: - LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
RNZ News
13-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Tauranga ratepayers fight ‘wicked' 12% rates rise
Mark Kenyon-Slade says Tauranga rates keep going up "relentlessly". Photo: LDR / Alisha Evans Ratepayers are urging Tauranga City Council to "rein in spending" and focus on the basics to curb a "wicked" 12 percent rates rise. The council christened its new chambers on Devonport Rd on Tuesday with a meeting to hear public feedback on its Annual Plan for 2025/26. The plan, which proposed an overall rates rise of 12 percent, received 968 written submissions and 96 people asked to speak to the council directly. Submitters asked for rates to be reduced, more community facilities in Pāpāmoa, and gave feedback about Local Waters Done Well. Mark Kenyon-Slade said there was "great frustration and annoyance" because rates kept going up "relentlessly". "There's a feeling out there that council is addicted to spending. "Council needs to rein in spending. Spending other people's money is extremely easy. "It is a responsibility of us all around this room to take this more seriously." Kenyon-Slade questioned why the rates increase was 12 percent when inflation was less than 3 percent. "It's wicked, it's absolutely wicked." Ōtūmoetai resident Neil Pollett said the council's rates increase should be capped at the rate of inflation. "Ratepayers are not a bottomless pit of money that TCC can keep mining to fund its future pet projects. "A lot of residents feel unhappy with the direction of our council and feel utterly powerless in their ability to influence it." Jan Gyenge wanted no residential rates rise. Photo: LDR / Alisha Evans Jan Gyenge said the residential rates increase was not sustainable. "There should be no residential rates increase in the 2025/26 annual plan." Gyenge said $40 million in savings needed to be found so residential rates wouldn't need to be increased. "Ratepayers need to be respected." Removing that increase would make a positive step towards building people's trust and confidence in the council, she said. Mayor Mahe Drysdale said the council had found $29m in savings to bring the rates rise to 12 percent. "We are on track to hopefully find another $10 million of savings, and unfortunately that only gets us to a 10 percent average rate rise." To avoid a rates rise, the council would need to find $80m in savings, Drysdale said. Pāpāmoa resident Ron Melville said council needed to get the basics right. Photo: LDR / Alisha Evans Ron Melville of Pāpāmoa said the council should spend 50 percent of its budget on core services, 30 percent on parks, reserves and public space and 0 percent on "overpriced city centre developments". "We are not here to bankroll a downtown utopia while our own footpaths crumble and our parks go unmowed. "This is not about being anti-progress, it's about getting the basics right." Construction has started on parts of the council's $306m new civic precinct, Te Manawataki o Te Papa . Nathan York, chief executive of Pāpāmoa East-based development company Bluehaven Group, said about 30 percent of Tauranga's population lived in the eastern corridor. He wanted the council to invest in facilities for Pāpāmoa. "We're particularly keen to see an aquatic facility that meets a regional and national standard." Pāpāmoa Rugby Club chairperson Nick Jones and committee member Leah Sutton. Photo: LDR / Alisha Evans Pāpāmoa Rugby Club chairman Nick Jones said Gordon Spratt Reserve, where the club was based, was over capacity and used by many sporting codes. He asked the council for land at 4 Stevenson Drive, in Golden Sands, to be zoned active reserve so fields could be built and the club could relocate there. This would enhance recreation facilities for the growing Pāpāmoa community, he said. It would be an ideal a permanent home for the rugby club, Jones said. "Our proposal supports the social, cultural, and sporting fabric of Pāpāmoa." Submitters also spoke about Local Water Done Well. There was an even split between people who were in favour of the council joining with other councils to deliver three-waters services, and those who believed the council had good water infrastructure and didn't need to partner with others. The Annual Plan and Local Water Done Well hearings would continue on Thursday. The council would deliberate on the Annual Plan on 26 May. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
